An alumnus of the University, Mr. Ifeanyi Okpala has bagged the 2020 Outstanding MS Thesis Award of the University of Alabama, United States of America.
Ifeanyi, a 2015 First Class Honours graduate of the University’s Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering (COLENG), who is currently a PhD student in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA, bagged the 2020 Department Outstanding MS Thesis Award in recognition of his research project in which he developed a Success Model for Implementing Wearable Sensing Devices (WSDs) in the construction industry.
The Success Model is a hybrid model that provides critical insights on the impact of WSDs on construction organisations’ performance, project metrics, as well as essential information for supporting the increased adoption of WSDs.
Ifeanyi’s research focuses on Construction Safety, Health Monitoring, Risk and Innovation Management, Predictive Modeling, Technology Adoption and Diffusion.
At FUNAAB, Ifeanyi earned a number of academic laurels such as the Prof. Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun Excellence Award for the undergraduate with the highest Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in the University for the year 2011.
In 2014, the young scholar led the universities’ team to emerge the 1st Runner-up at the Ideas Contest organised by the National Universities Commission (NUC), during the Annual National Entrepreneuship Week (ANEW), held in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Ifeanyi was President of the National Universities Engineering Students Association (NUESA), FUNAAB Chapter during the 2014/2015 academic year and a former General Secretary of the Association of Civil Engineering Students (ACES), in 2014.
Ifeanyi also represented the Civil Engineering Department at the Inauguration Ceremony of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission/Anti-Corruption Transparency and Monitoring Unit (ICPC/ACTU), FUNAAB Chapter.
He graduated with a CGPA of 4.74 out of a 5.0 scale and has continued to be a trail blazer in all his academic pursuit.
During his National Service Year, Ifeanyi was President of the Lagos Chapter of the EFCC/NYSC Community Development Service (CDS), a group saddled with the responsibility of sensitising the public on financial crimes and other corrupt practices.
Reacting to the giant strides recorded by the alumnus, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kolawole Salako commended Ifeanyi for being a good ambassador of the University, who has kept the flag of the FUNAAB flying high even outside the shores of the country.
According to him, “As a Vice-Chancellor, I must be happy celebrating scholarship, generally. Particularly, when our own alumni or staff are involved.”
He charged staff and students of the University to borrow a leaf from Ifeanyi and be good ambassadors of the FUNAAB wherever they find themselves, noting that “we are witnessing an age where benefactors source information about individuals or institutions online. Every negative news blown up about FUNAAB takes its toll on the University. It takes its toll on hardworking scholars of FUNAAB, who can raise their heads anywhere in the academia, anywhere in the world”.
